Ava Meena

My list of books to read is starting to get out of hand. This is especially true with the samples I’ve put on my Kindle - it's just too easy...

When I lost my mom last September, I had several thoughts about how it could affect my chronic dry eye. Perhaps I would want to cry but there would be...

As the holiday season came to a close, my husband and I received one more unexpected gift - an overflowing bathtub! This was something we did not put on our...

In addition to all the physical difficulties that chronic dry eye can bring into our lives, it can also affect our relationships with other people. I've had issues with everything...

My eyes have proved unpredictable since my chronic dry eye started seemingly overnight in May 2017. Life has been full of curve balls and new treatment plans ever since. Including...

Not long ago both of my sons got pink eye. The youngest is one and he also had an ear infection, so he got oral antibiotics. But the four-year-old only...

I was thrilled when my rheumatologist offered to send me to a Sjögren’s syndrome specialist. I had no idea there was one in my city. In my excitement, I envisioned...

There is a polarity between suffering from a chronic illness and realizing that a disease can bring good things to my life. A deep chasm between my painful flares and...

The first article I wrote for this community posed the question: can you have too many humidifiers? While that debate still rages on in my household (jokingly), I decided to...

Chronic dry eye has been a tough health condition for me financially. Unlike my other health issues, many of the things I use to treat dry eye are over-the-counter, or...

It’s been 2.5 years since I spent a weekend away by myself. It’s hard when you’re a mom of young kids and you have multiple health issues, including chronic dry...

When I first open my eyes in the morning, I know I need to do my Restasis drops right away, as they are a critical part of my dry eye...

I have found self-advocacy to be invaluable and a little intimidating. I’ve been learning how to find my voice in advocacy for more than 5 years, and I still struggle...

I miss the days when I only saw an eye doctor once a year to get an updated contact lens exam. Instead, I’ve seen my doctor anywhere from weekly to...

Ideally, I’d have a large cool mist humidifier in every room of my house during the winter – maybe even 2 in the larger spaces – plus a warm mist...